Refugees cross into Austria. Getty images/Christopher Furlong. All rights reserved.
The young Iraqi was thrilled. After three years of living in Vienna, Austria and over a year of endless searching, D., who preferred to keep his real name undisclosed, had finally found a job. The 29-year-old beneficiary of subsidiary protection in Austria, would be working part-time at a recruiting agency.
He didn’t feel that he had been discriminated against based on his status in the job searching process. Immediately after receiving subsidiary protection, which recognized that he was in serious danger if he returned to Iraq, he was able to access the labor market, was granted a residence permit for one year and another two years after the first extension. He stressed: “Many of my friends from the United States, the United Kingdom and other foreign countries are struggling to find a job in Austria. The reason why all of us have been having trouble is because we are not fluent in German.”
